Vietnam’s health sector names nine outstanding events in 2018

Updated at Monday, 31 Dec 2018, 14:57

The Hanoitimes - For the first time, Vietnamese experts successfully performed lung transplantation and simultaneously took six organs from a brain-dead donor for five patients on December 12 in Vietnam-Germany Hospital.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health has recently announced nine outstanding events of the health sector in 2018.

1. Vietnam gains many achievements in vaccine production

Vietnam has gained many achievements in producing "3-in-1" seasonal flu vaccine. The made-in-Vietnam measles vaccine received the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) President Award 2018.

On September 25, the Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals (IVAC) under the Ministry of Health (MoH) collaborated with related parties to announce the successful testing of the "3-in-1" vaccine against seasonal flu, including influenza A/H1N1/09, A/H3N2, influenza B and pre-pandemic influenza A/H5N1 flu.

"3-in-1" seasonal flu vaccine produced by Vietnam

Along with that, on December 13, the project conducted by the Center for Research and Production of Vaccines and Biologicals (POLYVAC) of the Ministry of Health, successfully produced measles vaccine and combined measles-rubella vaccine, meeting GMP standards of the World Health Organization (WHO). The project also received the JICA President Award 2018.

2. WHO recognizes Vietnam as a country that eliminates lymphatic filariasis

On October 8, 2018, at the 69th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific held in Manila, the Philippines, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Dhebreyesus and WHO Chief Representative in the Western Pacific Dr. Shin Young-soo presented Vietnam with a certificate recognizing the country’s elimination of lymphatic filariasis, bringing the total number of regional nations that have successfully eradicated the disease to 11 countries.

In Vietnam, lymphatic filariasis has long been known and has been one of the leading diseases causing disability. The disease is caused by a number of lymphatic worms and is transmitted by mosquitoes that are common in tropical and subtropical countries due to hot and humid climate.

Since 2002, the program to eliminate lymphatic filariasis in Vietnam has been implemented nationwide in accordance with the WHO’s guidelines. In 2018, the Ministry of Health conducted a review of implementation results and found that Vietnam eliminated the WHO-only lymphatic worms.

3. Vietnam receives Bloomberg Philanthropies award for its efforts and achievements in tobacco control

On March 7, 2018, in Cape Town, South Africa, the Vietnamese Ministry of Health was honored at the 17th World Conference on "Tobacco or Health" and received the Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards for Global Tobacco Control for its prominent achievements in monitoring tobacco use and policies to prevent tobacco harm. The conference saw the attendance of over 100 countries with more than 2,000 delegates.

4. Vietnamese experts successfully performs lung transplantation

For the first time, Vietnamese experts successfully performed lung transplantation and simultaneously took six organs from a brain-dead donor for transplants in five patients on December 12 .

This was also the first time the Vietnamese doctors took other organs from the same donor to transplant into four patients, a heart transplant for a 60-year-old man, a liver transplant for a 63-year-old woman and a kidney transplant for a 41-year-old man, and another kidney transplant on a 15-year-old boy in Ho Chi Minh City. After more than ten days, the health of all six transplants have progressed smoothly.

Simultaneous transplantation of six organs of a brain-dead person for five patients was performed on the same day of December 12 at the Vietnam-Germany Hospital is one of nine mayor events of the health sector in 2018

5. Vietnam’s rate of participants in health insurance reached 87.5%

As of December 31, 2018, over 82 million people participated in health insurance, reaching 87.5% of the population, 2.3% higher than the target assigned by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 1167/QD-TTg dated June 28, 2016 (85.2%), and also surpassing the target set by the National Assembly.

The Ministry of Health has collaborated with the Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group and software suppliers to organize training courses for drug supply establishments and granted accounts for 15,178 retail pharmacies. There were 2,787 establishments connected with management agencies and around 55,000 out of 60,000 medicine lists were standardized.

For the first time, Vietnam piloted family healthcare models at 26 communal level medical stations, following the direction of international integration to proceed to the nationwide replication.

The Ministry of Health issued the Action Program No.1379/Ctr-BYT to implement the project on building and developing grassroots health networks in accordance with the Prime Minister’s Decision No.2348/QD-TTg, focusing on drastically conducting and expanding family healthcare models at 26 commune-level medical stations.

The project aims to promote a drastic change in organizational mechanism and effective operation at grassroots medicine facilities, towards improving the quality of healthcare services at local health establishments. The ministry expects to expand the model to more than 11,000 commune-level medical stations nationwide.

8. Vietnam cuts over 70% of business conditions, administrative procedures

On November 12, 2018, the Government issued Decree No.155/2018/ND-CP amending and supplementing a number of provisions related to business conditions under the state management scope of the Ministry of Health, in which cutting down 1,363 out of 1,871 business and investment conditions (72.85%), and 169 out of 234 administrative procedures (72.22%).

The cutting of business conditions and administrative procedures as well as the list of goods subject to specialized inspection under the ministry’s state management has helped save more than 8.5 million working days per year, and about VND3,332.5 billion (US$143.3 million) per year for enterprises and people (excluding other benefits from business opportunities).

9. Vietnam uses ComBE Five vaccine to replace Quinvaxem

This is the first time Vietnam has shifted from Quinvaxem vaccine administration to ComBE Five vaccine in the expanded vaccination program.

“Five-in-one” vaccine ComBE Five produced by Indian vaccine manufacturer Biological E. Ltd, which has ingredients and efficacy similar to Quinvaxem and meets the WHO’s pre-qualification approval. This vaccine can help fight against five common, potentially fatal diseases affecting infants including diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenza type B. More than 400 million doses of the vaccine have been administered to children in 43 countries and territories.